To helmet or not to helmet...

[Guest guest]

At 5 months, I would say to do it if the orthotist is recommending it. We started our baby at 5.5 months after 2 months of doing tummy time and repositioning and it didn't get better. Maybe it didn't get worse but his head didn't pop back into shape. I actually thought our baby was a mild case but he was diagnosed as moderate. We still thought he was adorable and I couldn't see the asymmetry in his face until CT did the initial consultation. In fact, it was the nanny who told us after the 2 months of repositioning that his head was flat in the back on one side, which prompted us to go to CT. Once outsiders started noticing it we figured that maybe the repositioning wasn't working. By the time the helmet actually went on, we could see the asymmetry in the ears and cheek and the flatness was clearly visible on one side of the head. We went ahead and did the helmet because his father has a receding hairline and we thought that if one day our baby wanted to go bald instead of have a horseshoe hairstyle, he might be dismayed to see his misshapen head after all these years. We had to pay out of pocket but with all the things kids make fun of already, we just didn't want to add something else for them to make fun of.

The research I have read is showing that the heads don't always just fix themselves as a lot of pediatricians like to say. I know an adult with severe brachycephaly, one with plagiocephaly, an adult with a flat head. There was a boy in my class from 1st to 6th grade who had a flat head and the kids would always make fun of him, calling him "boxhead". He was already poor so they made fun of his clothes and very shy because of it. I just always felt bad for him so maybe my judgment is clouded by that memory. So I may be less optimistic than the average person about repositioning than others are. I just wonder if his mom was just following the usual advice of her pediatrician that it would fix itself.

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

If you have measurements or photos it would be easier to give you an opinion. If

you decide to wait and see I would recommend taking good photos now that show

the problems. Often this is a top down view. Then take pictures again in a few

weeks and see if there are changes for better or worse. If it is getting worse,

band.

As for it being " cosmetic " , who cares. Why would you want your baby to have a

deformed head if he didn't have too? The " cosmetic " argument is common, but it

bothers me.

-christine

sydney, 4.5 yrs, starband grad

>

> Hi everyone,

>

> I have a nearly 5-month-old who had Torticollis and now has Plagiocephaly.

The OT considers it to be mild, and says she wouldn't recommend a helmet at this

time. She gave lots of recommendations for tummy time and things to do to keep

him off of the affected side. But the orthotist said he considers it to be

" moderate " and said that he would recommend the helmet. I realize its in his

own best interest to recommend the helmet, but I just don't know how to make the

decision. The OT says its purely cosmetic, and that his face is symmetrical -

therefore its not so noticeable. But its pretty noticeable to us - and I don't

want to be vain, but we were seeking the helmet for cosmetic reasons. If I knew

that tummy time would truly help his head round out, I would definitely prefer

to not do the helmet because I love to nuzzle heads and because he's had many

little sensory issues which I think the helmet might worsen. Did anyone else go

into this " on the fence " and can you tell me how you made your decisions?

Thanks!

>

>

>